Albion Central
by TheKriMonster
Summary: The Red Knights of Albion Central are hoping to win this year's football championship, since Arthur and most of its team will be graduating. Gwen finds herself in a musical opposite of Lancelot, Morgana struggles to find the perfect college, and Merlin just wants to enjoy his first and final year at Albion Central. AU. Mergana, Arwen, Freylin, Gwencelot, and more!
1. Chapter 1

_Hi guys! So this fic is going to be dually written by bri-notthecheese (Bri) and kbunny10 (Kim). Generally, we will switch off and take every other chapter, but one week one of us may be busy or the other may just be more well-suited to write the material, so we will always announce at the beginning which writer has the chapter for the week (or however long it is between them. We're going to try to get one out every week: some may be quicker, some may take a bit longer)._

_So without further ado, my name is Bri and I am your writer this time around. I have had the honor of writing the first chapter, and I hope you all enjoy! :D_

-x-x-x-x-x-

Merlin stared out the car window, watching the climbing sun paint the sky. _It should be a crime to be up this early. _Grumbling, he readjusted himself and leaned his head against the window. Shutting his eyes, he hoped to give his brain at least the illusion of sleeping so that when they arrived, he'd feel more awake. In what felt like only a moment later, the car ceased its movement and was shifted into park.

"Come on, honey, we're here."

Merlin reluctantly opened his eyes and stared up at his mother. He envied her bright eyes and morning perkiness, and gave her his most miserable-looking face. She rolled her eyes and chuckled.

"Oh Merlin, come on. We've only come this early because it's the first day. Wouldn't you rather have some idea what you're doing before you end up getting lost among people who have been here for three years already?"

"I'm sure I could manage," he yawned sleepily, making no effort to stifle it.

"You probably could, but it doesn't matter because we're here anyways. Let's go, sleepyhead." With that, she collected her purse and exited the car. Yawning once more, he grabbed his orange backpack and followed her.

Albion Central. Merlin's school for his senior year. He imagined most people would complain about switching schools a year before graduation, but he honestly didn't mind. He basically had one friend at his previous school, but he and Will had only talked during school hours, and the occasional text about homework. Merlin vowed that this year would be different. He would at least try to make the best of it, if only for his mother. She was hesitant to accept this job as Albion Central's full-time art teacher, despite the better pay, because she didn't want to force Merlin away from the people he had grown up with and the school he had been attending his whole life. He could tell she had fallen in love with this school after taking a tour of it, and since he really had no roots in his old town, he told her she should take it. So here they were at its front doorstep in the brisk, early-September morning air, ringing the intercom.

"Hello, how may I help you?" the intercom crackled.

"Yes, hello, good morning. My name is Hunith Ambrosius and this is my son Merlin. I'm the new art teacher and Mr. Pendragon had instructed us to arrive early to get our bearings before everyone else shows up today."

"Of course. Come right in."

The door buzzed and Merlin reached out and pulled it open. They were received inside by the school's security, and then pointed down the hall to the principal's office. Mr. Pendragon met them outside and shook both of their hands.

"Very pleasant to see you again, Ms. Ambrosius. And how are you, lad? It's nice to finally meet the son of this fine woman."

"It's nice to meet you too, sir."

"Shall we get started then? Now, the A Wing is down this hallway to our left here, accompanied by the B Wing on the second flight. The hallway to our right leads to our two cafeterias, as well as the main gym, the choir and band rooms, and our stage. Our library is just through those doors there. If you'll follow me..."

They did, and he continued explaining that the science wing, or the F Wing, was straight through the Commons area, which was supposedly their study hall? Merlin had seen an area with tables and small couches up near the school's front that looked like students could work there, but he'll have to ask later. The foreign languages department, the C Wing, was past the science wing, leaving math, history, literature, and various other courses to the A and B Wings. Merlin hoped he would get a map of this place when he received his schedule.

"…and here are the art classrooms. Your office is linked between the two, and we generally use the one classroom for graphic arts and generic drawings while the second is for the messier activities, such as painting and sculpting. I think we'll head back now to get your schedule, Mervin, wasn't it-"

"Merlin."

"-Merlin, yes, but we can get you your schedule and then you can head to your locker while we get your mother her keys for the classrooms."

Thankfully, Merlin's schedule was presented to him with a map and after saying goodbye to his mother, he scurried off to find his locker. It was conveniently placed in the middle of the school near the intersection of the main hallways, and after two tries, he succeeded in opening it. By the time he finished putting all of his books and other supplies in it, a few students had arrived and were roaming the halls. Grabbing his books for the first half of the day, he headed off to peek at the cafeterias and the gym before class. Approving all three locations, he turned around and went to his first class.

The AP Chemistry room was on the smaller size, with a supply room hanging off to the side. The fluorescent lights chased away every shadow and the low hum of the AC explained the temperature. A few students were already sitting, and some had looked up when he entered. _Now is the moment of truth. Do I sit in front and get labeled as the teacher's pet? Or sit in back and risk getting distracted or making the teacher think I don't want to be here? I could sit in the middle, but a lot of those desks already have at least one person sitting in them, and they could be saving them for som-_

He started falling backwards as the classroom door opened. A pretty, dark-skinned girl with curly hair nearly bumped into him as she walked into the room.

"Oh! Wow, I'm sorry! I had no idea you were standing there! I didn't hurt you, right?"

"No, no, I'm fine. Probably shouldn't have been leaning on it in the first place."

"Probably. I don't think I've seen you around before. Are you a junior coming up a grade for this class?"

"No, uhm, actually I'm a transfer student. I've just moved here."

"Oh! Well, if you need any help finding things or just want a tour around, feel free to ask. My name's Gwen!"

"I'm Merlin."

She reached out to shake his hand, balancing her books on her one arm. Merlin smiled, glad he had met someone before the day even started.

"Are you new here?"

A voice interrupted his thoughts. He looked up and found an attractive, ebony-haired girl with pale skin staring at him quizzically. She wore glasses and the eyes behind them were a piercing blue.

"Uh, me? Yes, uh, yeah I'm a transfer."

"Where from?"

"Ealdor State. It's not a college or anything, just has state in the name."

"And do you have a name?"

"Merlin."

"Pleasure to meet you Merlin. I would comment on the oddness of your name, though I suppose mine's not any stranger. My name's Morgana."

"Did your parents have a thing for Old English folklore, too?"

"Something like that. Well, are you going to just stand there during class? Come sit down."

She patted the seat next to her and Merlin willingly obliged. Gwen bounced to the lab table behind them, and relieved herself of the heavy books. Sinking into a stool, she leaned forward to continue chatting with Morgana and Merlin.

"I think you'll like Professor Gaius. He insists on being addressed as that in the halls and on the first day, but after that, feel free to just call him Gaius. He tends to favor the students in the higher level science classes so we can get away with a lot." Both her and Morgana grinned.

"So you two have had him before?"

"Yes," Morgana continued. "Our sophomore year we had him for Honors Chem, and then junior year we took one of the lab electives he taught. Gwen and I are his favorites. So, stick with us and he'll love you too!"

As if on cue, the door opened and Professor Gaius walked in. White hair fell in wisps around his wrinkled face, framing the golden glasses he wore. He looked out at the class as he set his books down on the lab table that doubled as his desk.

"AP Chemistry is difficult. Do not take this lightly when I say that this class will be one of the hardest challenges you will have to face in high school. It will push your minds further than you had thought possible, but you must be willing to do the work to get you there. Mind you, there will be quite a lot of it. I see some familiar and some new faces in this room, and some are students I've had previously. Either way, I have confidence in all of your abilities to complete this course. All that is left is the confidence in yourselves." He nodded once, almost as if congratulating himself on a great welcoming speech. The man intrigued Merlin, and he was looking forward to learning from him this next year.

"Now, I'm going to hand out the syllabus because its required of me, though none of you fool me when you say you will read it at home. It's your basic classroom rules and grading scale, which you have all heard countless times since your freshmen year. Don't break any of those, and we won't have a problem. Now that that is taken care of, open your books to page seven, and we'll dive straight into a covalent and ionic bonds review."

The bell rang and Merlin's head buzzed with all of the information they had covered in the past fifty minutes. This was going to be fun. Merlin always loved a challenge for his mind. Grinning to himself, he set out for his Foods class. The room was spacious, but quaint, and held two refrigerators in the back. Four kitchen set-ups circled the room with tables and chairs for the students in the middle. Merlin took a seat at the table closest to the door and pulled out his notebook. A girl, maybe a year or two younger than him, took the seat next to him. Two more boys joined his table as the other tables reached capacity. Merlin nodded to them and went to do the same to the girl, but she was already looking at him. She instantly blushed and looked away. He moved his mouth to say something, but the teacher had begun talking.

"Welcome to Foods I. My name is Ms. Lamia and I'll be your instructor this semester. I know many of you are here because you hear it's an easy A and you get to eat food all the time, and what could be better than that, right?"

No one responded.

"Some of these assumptions may be true, but that doesn't mean that I don't expect the best from all of you. If you want to move on to Foods II, you need at least a C+, so make sure you work hard. Today we'll be going over the syllabus-"

The class quietly, but collectively, groaned.

"-and after that, we'll begin by reviewing the proper techniques of using a knife."

Merlin stared up at Ms. Lamia in disbelief. He hoped choosing this class wasn't a mistake. He had thought it would be a nice break in between his more difficult courses, but maybe this was too easy.

"I hope we do something more exciting tomorrow," the girl next to him whispered.

"Yeah, maybe if we're good, she'll teach us how to boil water," Merlin sniggered. The girl giggled as well. "I'm Merlin, by the way."

"Freya."

"Nice to meet you."

The rest of the class passed by uneventfully, as did Merlin's study hall. His thoughts on the small area with the couches being a study area was confirmed as his schedule led him there, and he discovered it was for seniors only. His fourth period class was Calculus, and luckily Gwen waved him over before he had to begin contemplating on where to sit. Morgana was in this class as well, though she was currently across the room arguing with a blonde boy. Merlin slid into the desk next to Gwen.

"Who's Morgana fighting with?"

"Oh, that's just Arthur, her brother. Well, technically half-brother but no one really pays attention to that. They fight as much as any two siblings I know, maybe more."

"Hey, Gwen, anyone sitting here?" asked a curly-haired boy on the other side of Gwen. Merlin thought he may have seen him last period in study hall, but wasn't certain.

"You are now, Leon. Oh, Leon! This is Merlin. He's just transferred here from Ealdor State, though it's not a college, despite State being in the name."

Merlin and Leon both nodded to each other, and their teacher Ms. Ryan began speaking. The ringing bell emitted a sense of gratitude from Merlin because it meant he could finally eat lunch. He was definitely packing some snacks tomorrow to eat during study hall.

The upper-classmen cafeteria was packed as students tried to situate themselves and figure out what lunch table they would sit at for the next year. He found an arm being linked through his as he was dragged away from the doorway.

"Come on, I'm not leaving you to sit alone on your first day. You're sitting with us."

Merlin smiled as Morgana led him to a round table near the wall of the lunchroom. The set-up of the cafeteria allowed for a large number of rectangular tables to be placed in the center with smaller, round tables lining the outskirts. Gwen and a few other people were already at the table. Merlin was introduced to Elaine, Gillian, and Anna, who were seniors and a junior, respectively.

"Come on, Gwen, at least try out," Morgana pushed. "What's the worst that could happen? You don't get in? You don't seem to want it that badly now, so that wouldn't be too big of a bummer, would it? But the best thing that could happen is that you get a leading part, Gwen! You have the voice for it. Anyways, Lance said they need a lot of people this year with the big chorus numbers, so you have to! Even if it's a small part, you'll still have fun!"

"I'm still not sure. But, the auditions aren't until next week, so I still have time to think about it."

"Auditions for what?" Merlin had no idea what they were talking about, but he wanted to learn as much as he could about this school before he was left utterly clueless of this year's events.

"Our school's fall musical. We're putting on _Beauty and the Beast_. And Morgana here, is trying to force me to audition for Belle."

"Not force you, just aggressively persuade you."

"I'll think about it. Will that make you happy?"

"For now," Morgana smirked, and turned her gaze on Merlin. "So do you sing?"

"What, me? No, no, not really. I mean, I hum along and maybe sing a bit with songs on the radio, but I don't actually, y'know, _sing_."

"Have you ever acted?"

"No."

"Dance?"

"I'm really clumsy."

"Oh, Morgana stop bugging him. Sorry Merlin, you'll get used to it."

"It's ok," Merlin turned the tables. "And you, Morgana? Are you a performer?"

"Absolutely not. I love going to watch, especially when my friends are in it, but you really don't want to hear me sing."

"What about dancing then? You could be one of the chorus members that sing quietly?"

"No thanks. I love to dance, but not the kind that's choreographed."

"Like what then?"

"Oh you know, just the kind you would do at parties or school dances. Nothing special."

"I see. Even with that kind of dancing, I think I still lack some skills."

"Well then, I'll just have to help you."

She winked at him and left him slightly stunned. The conversation transitioned over to this year's football season and how they needed to defeat their rivals. Last year, Albion Central's Red Knights reached the championship and faced their school's rivals, the Saxons from Gaul High School. They were defeated in an embarrassing 28-6 and were looking to redeem themselves this season.

"All of them have been training really hard," Morgana commented. "The team came over at least twice a week for runs and work-out sessions this summer. Arthur really wants the them to go out on top."

Merlin ate his lunch and enjoyed hearing them tell stories, even if they were about people he's never met. It made him feel included. The bell signaled the end of lunch, and they all parted ways. His schedule instructed him to head to Literature taught by a Mr. Kilgharrah. It was a basic classroom, and Merlin took a seat in the third row. He heard laughing and turned his head to see the blonde named Arthur enter the room with two of his friends. His friends took two seats in the second row and Arthur took the remaining seat, right next to Merlin. Merlin slightly eavesdropped on their conversation and discovered the names of the other two were Percival and Elyan. They continued joking until the bell, which was followed immediately by Mr. Kilgharrah taking attendance.

"Merlin Ambrosius?"

"Here."

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Arthur turned to look at him.

"Psst!"

Merlin rotated his head slightly towards Arthur and whispered back. "Yes?"

"I saw you talking with my sister earlier."

"Ok?"

Arthur clearly expected a different reaction, perhaps a show of fear on Merlin's part, because he seemed taken aback and leaned away to contemplate something to say next. Merlin focused his attention back to the teacher, not wanting to get into trouble on the first day, that is, until he felt a poke in his side. He jerked from the action and moved to see Arthur pulling back a pencil.

"What?"

"Who are you?"

"Merlin, though my saying 'here' in response to the name Merlin during attendance should have tipped you off."

"Well, Merlin, my name is Arthur Pendragon and my father is the principal here."

"Is that supposed to scare me?" He could tell Arthur was getting more frustrated, but Merlin was having too much fun with this.

"It should."

"Why?"

"Because it jus-listen. I take it you're new so you don't understand how things work around here. Basically, I'm like the king of this school, so I do what I want. If you understand that, we won't have any problems."

"Is that your attempt at trying to bully me?" Merlin almost laughed out loud at the face Arthur made. His mouth gaped open, eyes wide, as he stared at Merlin with both surprise and disgust.

"Arthur Pendragon?"

"Wha-? Oh! Here." Arthur was trying to erase the shocked expression on his face. Merlin chuckled to himself, and ignored him for the rest of the class. Despite the fact of Arthur sitting next to him, he was looking forward to this class. Their first unit was focusing on Shakespeare, followed by a poetry unit. He left class fairly quickly, not wanting to get into trouble with Arthur's friends. The gym locker room smelled decently, though he predicted that wouldn't last too long. He got changed and waited with the others to leave. The teacher crept Merlin out slightly as he came to gather up the class. He introduced himself as Coach Agravaine and was about to usher them out when a small freshman burst into the room.

"Sorry I'm late sir! I won't take long to change! Be right there!" He raced around the corner and began switching to his gym clothes.

"What's your name, son?"

"Mordred, sir!"

"I'll excuse your tardiness for today, but don't let it happen again."

"Yes, sir!"

The boy soon joined them, and they trudged out to the track. They ran two laps before heading to the baseball fields. Merlin's team won, though no one really cared because it was gym class. He eagerly anticipated his next and final class of the day. Opening the door to the art classroom, he was greeted with the smell of paint and clay. His mother appeared to be comfortably situated in her new desk, and he shot her a smile. The younger boy from gym had followed him in. Mordred, wasn't it? Merlin noticed Morgana at a table near the center, though there was another guy talking to her. It seemed to Merlin that the man was trying to impress her, but she was not falling for any of it. He slowly approached the table. Morgana looked up, a look of relief crossed her face.

"Merlin! I didn't know you were going to be in this class. Come sit. This is Gwaine, by the way. Gwaine, Merlin. Merlin, Gwaine."

They shook hands, and Merlin thought he spotted a hint of jealousy on Gwaine's face as they took seats on either side of Morgana. Ms. Ambrosius stood and walked in front of the students. She took attendance, though she didn't call Merlin's name. Morgana noticed, and leaned over.

"Why she didn't call your name?"

"Well, that's my mother actually, so I'm hoping it's because she can see I'm here."

"Aww and you're taking her class? That's really sweet! So now I'm assuming she got this new job and that's why you two moved?"

"Yeah, but I didn't mind because I wasn't a huge fan of my old school anyways."

"How come?"

"There isn't really a big reason why, I was just never a fan of the people. I wasn't bullied or anything, I just didn't feel like I fit in. But I'm thinking it's going to be much better this year."

"Of course it will! You're friends with me now."

They grinned at one another, and Morgana turned back to the board. Merlin watched her and realized she was right. He had already made two good friends in her and Gwen, and met many other potential friends today. If he played his cards right, this year could make up for the other three mediocre years he had had at Ealdor State. _Yes. I will definitely make this year better. Maybe not all those movies lied when they told us that senior year can be great. _

With that, Merlin looked back up at his mother and beamed at her, silently thanking her for taking this position at Albion Central.

-x-x-x-x-x-

_A/N: And there you have it! The whole story will not be written in Merlin's POV, but will switch off between the main four. We'll be covering the whole of their senior year, so it won't be ending too quickly. We have lots planned for this, so hopefully you enjoyed it and will stay tuned for more! Please review, and let me know what you thought of this first chapter! Thanks! :D_


	2. Chapter 2

_Hello everyone! I'm so sorry it's taken so long to put up another chapter! Things have been crazy! We will definitely be quicker in the future! Thank you so much for the reviews we got and we're quite excited that people are taking an interest in this story! We won't let you down! _

_This is actually Bri again for this chapter! Kim was super busy, but will be up for the next one! :D_

-x-x-x-x-x-

_Thump!_ Arthur's backpack landed heavily on the leather couch, followed shortly by a tired teenager. He swung his legs up over the cool back and groaned.

"Don't be so dramatic. We've only just finished the first week."

Arthur jumped and floundered for a moment. "Morgana, how many times have I told you to quit sneaking up on me like that?"

"I wasn't sneaking. I came in right after you."

"Yeah, but you're freakily quiet, so can you just, you know, _announce_ your presence in some way before you just appear?"

"We drove home together Arthur. I didn't think my _presence_ needed announcing." He scowled at her while she returned it with a smirk, knowing she had won this round. "Besides, what are you complaining about? You've got less work than me."

"But that was your choice."

"Well that depends on how you look at it. I didn't choose to be this smart." Arthur swiped at her, but she had already moved away, laughing. She grabbed two string cheeses from the fridge and leaned on the counter. "I'm only kidding, Arthur. You're still smart, just in a different way. You think I could come up with your elaborate battle strategies for the team? Or the work out routines you create?"

"Morgana, you don't even work out, so it's not like you've even really tried."

"Are you kidding? I work out." With that, she skipped up the stairs to her room. "See? All done." She winked and walked through the doorway.

Arthur rolled to his stomach, and in the process, knocked his backpack off the couch- not that he cared. Five days. They'd been back only five days and school was hell already. He already had one paper to write for his WWII class about the socioeconomic conditions of Germany, though he was anticipating Morgana to help him with that one. He was a bit pitiful with his writing capabilities, especially when it came to history, and Morgana did like helping him, though it may take some begging. Plus, they were in the same class so she'd be familiar with the project. Not that it mattered since she would've figured it out anyways. Morgana was incredibly clever, a trait which Arthur greatly envied, though he would never admit it. He also had a project in Biology, a subject he himself took pleasure in and was rather good at, too. He was partnered up with a girl named Vivian, who was very pretty but got confused easily. He didn't mind though. He loved explaining things, especially this unit. They were talking about the gene pool and punnett squares. He already knew he had recessive traits for both his hair and eyes, but dominant ones for being right-handed and the ability to curl his tongue, and was greatly anticipating learning more about his genealogical heritage. Calculus and government had only assigned homework so far, but it was a only matter of time before things piled up there too. _Oh, and I have that Lit project with that idiot, Merlin._

He hadn't liked Merlin from the moment he saw him talking with Morgana. He had liked him even less later when Merlin had back-talked him. And now thank to his luck, and a sneaking suspicion that the teacher found it amusing, they were partners. They were given the play _Much Ado About Nothing_ and had to write at least a 3-page paper explaining each type of verse Shakespeare had used throughout the script, in addition to making some kind of movie trailer for the play. They had a month, but that still didn't give them a lot of time. Especially with it being football season.

The guys were coming over later for pizza and hanging out in celebration of getting through their first week of school. They considered it a treat before the real work began. They needed to obliterate Gaul High School and their stupid Saxon mascot. It wasn't even a good name for a team. He rolled his eyes. No, they were winning this season for sure. They had to.

_Ding dong!_

Arthur raised his torso. Who was here? The guys weren't due to come for another few hours and his dad was working late tonight. He slid off the couch and opened the door to find Gwen. He almost didn't recognize her behind the mountain of stuff she was carrying.

"Oh! Uhhh, Gwen, come in." He opened the door wider, beckoning her in. Closing the door behind him, he called up, "Morgana! Gwen's here!"

"Be down in a minute! We need the kitchen!"

"You have to be gone befo-"

"Yes, Arthur, I know they're coming! We will!"

Arthur nodded to himself, and found himself in an awkward situation. He had never actually had a conversation with her without Morgana being there and had no idea what to say.

"Shall we?" He gestured to the kitchen and almost turned before remembering all the things she was holding. "Here." He reached forward and took one of the over-stuffed bags. "What is this even for?"

"Well that one has my clothes and toothpaste since I'm staying over. While the bags here-" holding up a tote, "and here-" turning to show her backpack, "are full of homework and ingredients."

"Ingredients?" he asked, setting her bag down on a kitchen stool.

"For this weird chicken dish Morgana wants to try. I just picked up the food she didn't already have here."

"Right. What's in it?"

"Uhhh, I guess it's like a pot pie, but it's got four different kinds of cheese and instead of normal crust, the outside is made of pretzel bread."

Arthur made a face. "I can't tell if I want to try it or not."

"Well, maybe we'll let you have a little piece if you're good."

He quirked an eyebrow at her. "I'll make sure to be on my best behavior."

"I'm sure you'll try." She chuckled.

"Hey! I can be good, especially if there's food promised."

She laughed again. "Well then, you'll just have to prove me wrong."

"Hey!"

Arthur jolted to find Morgana once again standing right behind him.

"Scare you again? That's twice in less than an hour. Maybe you are sick."

"I'm not sick, just sleepy," he grumbled, sliding away from them. "I'm gonna nap before they get here. Wake me in like an hour."

~x~

"So have you prepared your song yet?"

Gwen stopped mid-bite and looked up confusingly at Morgana. "Song for what?"

"The auditions of course! They're in, what- four days? You need to prepare!"

Morgana still wasn't certain what was stopping her best friend from auditioning for _Beauty and the Beast. _Gwen was an excellent singer, and performer in general. She loved the movie as well, and could quote almost every line.

"Gwen, what's holding you back? Are you scared to audition? Scared that you'll only get a small part? Or do you think you're just going to be too busy? Tell me! I want to understand what's making you so hesitant! Please?" Morgana knew she could be pushy, and maybe was being a bit over the top right now, but she always wanted to do the best she could for her friends, and right now Gwen needed to decide what she wanted.

"It's just, I don't know. I haven't done theatre since middle school and I don't really know any of the people in it anymore."

"You know Lance."

"Hardly. We only became friends when you two dated sophomore year. We haven't exactly stayed in touch since then."

"But he'd love to have you, I know it! I was talking with him today, and he knows how good your voice is. He thinks it's a good idea too. He can introduce you to people. Oh come on, Gwen, I know you really want to do this!"

"I do. I'm just scared."

"I can come to the auditions with you if it'd make you feel better?" Gwen nodded. "Good. Now that that's settled, what song shall you sing? Actually, how do you even know what to pick?"

"Well, our school's auditions let you choose a song from the show, though I know at other school's they have you choose one yourself from any Broadway selection. I decided that if I'm going for Belle, I'm going to sing 'Home'. It's in the Broadway show, but it's not in the movie."

"I knew you'd been paying attention to audition details."

"Oh hush."

Morgana just chuckled. "Have you been practicing the song too?" A silent Gwen gave her the answer. "Well, let's hear it then!"

"No, not now! They'll all hear me downstairs! You can hear me at the auditions."

They fell into a comfortable silence, eating their food. The boys' laughing could be heard, even though they were two floors down in the basement. Morgana was going to miss this. Sure, everyone would come back from school during the summer and holidays, but it was going to be less frequent and not everyone would always be able to make it. Speaking of which, she really needed to start sending her applications in. It was hard enough deciding what she wanted to major in, but now she had to choose between colleges too. Hopefully, it'll make it easier once she started getting accepted.

"So what do you think of Merlin?" Gwen asked between bites.

"I think he's adorable." What did she think of Merlin? Well, she was right in saying he was adorable. He was also very smart, a trait she found rather attractive, and his smile was one-of-a-kind. He was easy enough to talk to, and a great lab partner. She also finally found in him someone that was equal to her in a battle of wits. But, he sometimes seemed nervous around her, and she wasn't certain why. She didn't feel like she was being intimidating. Maybe she came off too strong? Or he just wasn't attracted to her like most guys were.

"You two seem to get along well."

"We do. It's nice to find someone else that's capable of doing group work." She giggled. "Do you remember physics last year?"

"No one knew what the hell was going on except us." Gwen laughed.

"But he's also different than most of the guys here. It's intriguing."

"So, you're interested in him being more than just a lab partner?"

"I didn't say that."

"Oh, but I know you Morgana. Don't pretend you haven't been looking."

"Shut up, it's not like I'm not going to date him yet. We've known each other for five days."

"Yeah, but we have the whole year."

"Maybe. But I think I scare him sometimes."

"You scare everyone."

"I know, I know. All I'm saying is we'll see."

"Homecoming is soon. Maybe he'll ask you?" Gwen teased.

"But that's later. Right now, we've got to get you set for the musical." Morgana pushed the thought aside. Maybe he would. Maybe he wouldn't. She wouldn't dwell on it. She didn't like to be the kind of girl to moon over guys and get stuck thinking about them and playing the 'what if' game. She liked to take things as they came at her. Right now, she had to get her friend ready for the auditions.

~x~

"Hey Arthur! What would you say if I asked your sister to Homecoming, eh?" Gwaine asked, sauntering over from the pizza, his mouth half-full.

"I'd say good luck, and tell you to buy some ice cream before you do."

"Do you really have so little confidence in my ability to pick up women?"

"Women, no. Morgana, like I said, good luck."

The guys all laughed, further continuing the jokes on Gwaine. Arthur smiled. What would he do without these guys? Gwaine, Lance, Percival, Elyan, and Leon. These guys had been his best friends since grade school. They'd already been through so much together, he wasn't sure if there was anything they couldn't handle.

"How is everything, boys?" Arthur's dad peeked into the room. "Need anything before I head up?"

"No, I think we're good here."

"We've got everything."

"Thanks, dad."

He nodded and closed the door as everyone told him goodnight. He may be the respected, and sometimes feared, principal at school, but here, he was just Arthur's father. The guys all got along with him and there were never any big problems. There was one time during their freshmen year where Percival and Gwaine had gotten in trouble for taping funny pictures of Coach Agravaine around the entire school, so it was a bit icy between them and his dad for a bit, but it eventually blew over. Lance also had his troubles the following year when he and Morgana had dated for a few months, but since nothing big had happened with that, he was fine as well. His phone beeped, signaling a text. Opening it, he saw it was from Merlin. _I definitely regret giving this to him._

_Merlin: So how do you wanna do this project?_

_Arthur: can we figure it out later im kinda busy now_

_Merlin: We only have a month and the sooner we start, or at least figure out how we're gonna work on it, the better._

_Arthur: why don't you divide it up and tell me later_

There was a pause in his answers. _He's probably thinking about it now. _ What luck to get partnered with the one guy that wants to make sure all the work gets done, but won't actually do it all himself. His phone chirped again.

_Merlin: Ok, so over the next week, we should both read the play. I don't care if you have football, at least SparkNote it or something. Next weekend, we should find a time to get together and work on the essay part of it, and who writes what. And then maybe figure out what to do for the trailer thing too._

_Arthur: fine we can meet at my house_

_Merlin: Day/time?_

_Arthur: sunday around lunch we can get pizza or chinese or whatever_

_Merlin: Chinese is fine. Can't have pizza._

_Arthur: why_

_Merlin: I'm lactose-intolerant._

_Arthur: oh. that sucks man im sorry_

_Merlin: It doesn't really bother me. But this sounds good. See you Monday then._

_Arthur: see ya_

_ That actually wasn't that terrible. Maybe this kid isn't as bad as he seems. But that really sucks that he can't eat pizza._ Shrugging, Arthur slid his phone back into his pocket and tried to find where the conversation had gone since he had jumped out.

~x~

Merlin set his phone down and picked up his Chem book. Gaius had already assigned them a lab to complete over the weekend. It was simple, but still would've been easier if he didn't have to do it alone. _Maybe next time I'll ask Morgana or Gwen if they want to work with me. _He started reading the instructions when his phone buzzed again. It was from Freya. They had been texting on and off the past few days, and he was starting to like the girl. She was two years his younger, but he didn't mind. She was sweet, and kept him company in the class from hell. They were convinced their Foods teacher was insane. She hadn't actually let them boil water that next day. Far from it. All week they'd been watching instructional videos on proper slicing techniques and kitchen etiquette. A few of the videos had even been played twice because she couldn't remember having the class watch it and wouldn't believe anyone when they told her they had. The only way that kept the two awake was through passing notes. He knew it was old school, but if it distracted him from those videos, even for five seconds, it was worth it.

_Freya: So whatchu up to? =)_

_Merlin: I'm just reading the instructions for the lab I have to do. What are you up to?_

_Freya: Nm. Boooored. Whats the lab about?_

_Merlin: It's a lab that has us use different tests to see if a substance is ionic or not. He gave us the substances he wants us to use, so it's basically a test and record lab._

_Freya: Hmmm sounds hard! But your really smart so I'm sure you'll understand!_

_Merlin: It's not too bad, but thanks._

_Freya: Your welcome! =)_

He didn't have anything to reply to that, so he just tossed his phone onto his bed. He wanted to start this lab anyways. He fished out the materials Gaius had sent each student home with, but he knew he needed other objects to use for the tests. Gliding out of the room, he went to search his new home. Hopefully, the things he needed weren't still packed away in boxes. He figured his mom was already asleep, but Merlin heard the quiet murmur of the TV from her room. He gently opened the door to find his former assumptions had been correct. Ms. Ambrosius peacefully slept as _Pretty Woman_ played out on the screen. He switched it off and silently closed the door. After grabbing various items, he made one last stop in the kitchen to add an apple to his pile and proceeded upstairs. Munching on the apple, he reread the directions. _Yep, definitely going to want to work with a partner next time._

-x-x-x-x-x-

_A/N: Second chapter complete! I hope you enjoyed it! Side note: Yes, I am perfectly aware that Freya did not use the correct 'you're' either time, and that bugged me to no end, but I wanted to give a feel for her character. _

_Sorry once more for being so late, it won't happen again! Please leave any comments or critiques in the reviews! I love to hear them! See you next time! :D_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Hello again! Not quite as long as before, but I will try to be faster! I would've written sooner, but I was finishing up an anime that I was really into and couldn't write until I was done. This is Bri, and actually I will continue to be the writer for this story. Kim is super busy, but she is my editor and right-hand, so she is still a big help in making this! I want to thank everyone again for reviewing. They make me smile so much! Enjoy! :D **_

-x-x-x-x-x-

_Bwrrring! _

The bell signaling the end of the school day finally sounded, and Gwen wasn't sure if she was relieved or if it increased her nerves tenfold. Probably the latter. The last period had gone by agonizingly slow, and because of the butterflies in her stomach, she hadn't been able to concentrate on reading. Sometimes it really sucked having two study halls at the end of the day. Most days she was grateful since it allowed her to finish her assignments and gave her reading time, but today was painful. Not only had she finished everything halfway through seventh hour, but each time she tried to pick up her book, 'Home' echoed throughout her head. _I should be used to this by now_, she tried to tell herself but she knew it was in vain. This happens to every performer. No matter how many times a performer auditions, the jitters will always be present. And she knew this time was different anyways. She wasn't just auditioning her voice for a choir, where her face would end up in a sea of many. They were going to be judging her persona; the way she acted, moved, and used her face while she was singing, and would be testing her on whether or not she could capture the essence of Belle, all in the span of one minute. It was a lot of pressure to put on one person. _How did Morgana talk me into this? _

Collecting her things and slinging her bag over her shoulder, she joined the masses and made her way to her locker. She set the lemon water-filled bottle on the shelf and began unloading her bag. A gentle tap on her arm alerted her to Merlin's presence by her side.

"Hey, how's our newbie doing? Second week better than the first?"

"Is any week really better than another? Except for the last one, of course." Gwen giggled, and he added, "But yes, it's a lot smoother than last week. And it's nice to actually know who some people are and what's going on. Like the auditions. Morgana said you were going?"

"I am, but my slot isn't until 3:45, so I still have some time."

"You don't seem too happy about that."

"I'm not. I like going at the beginning to get it over with, though I suppose going later has its advantages."

"Like what?"

"You're easier to remember since they saw you more recently. But right now, I think I still want to just get it over with."

"You're that nervous?"

"It's hard to explain Merlin. It's not exactly like trying out for a sport. For that, it's purely based on skill and whether or not you're good enough for the team. That's more like a choir audition. This, however, takes more than just skill. You can have the best voice and be a great actor but still not get anything because you weren't what they were picturing. But the problem is you have no idea what the directors are picturing exactly. It's a guessing game right up until they post the cast list so you're stuck worrying beforehand on whether or not you will perform to their standards, and afterwards you're left thinking about what you did right, but mostly what you did wrong and-"

Her ramblings had almost turned to a shout, but Merlin continued standing there with an incredulous look on his face. Sighing, she shut her locker and they walked towards the auditorium.

"I'm sorry. I just really nervous."

"I can tell." She nudged his shoulder, causing him to side step a few paces before falling back beside her. "Okay, okay. Would it be easier to practice a little bit now? I could help, or at least try to? Pretend I'm the director."

"Oh Merlin…"

"Oh come on!"

"I don't know."

"Please?"

"Not out in the open."

Merlin gave her a smile and spun around to find somewhere for her to sing. He pulled her around a corner into a smaller hallway that was only used by janitors to get to the supply closet or the boiler room.

"Will this do?"

"I guess." Clearing her throat, she hummed a scale quickly and took a breath. "_Is this ho-_Merlin, I can't do this."

"Yes you can Gwen! I don't know the song, but that already sounded really good!"

"I let out two words."

"Yeah, well, they sounded great and I am very anxious to hear more."

Gwen stared at her friend. She was really glad he was here, and would be for the year. He was a very different friend that she was used to. She had known him for a week, and already he was convincing her to sing. And not only that, but she felt comfortable singing for him, which was a strange phenomenon in itself. It took her years to find the confidence to sing in front of Morgana, and loads more to audition for choir. He kept smiling and gave her an encouraging nod. Her confidence returned, she sang through the section she was using, keeping tabs on any passerby's in the hallway.

"That was brilliant. I don't know what they'd be thinking if they didn't cast you."

"You're just saying that."

"Well, I might be saying it to help encourage you but that doesn't mean that it's not true."

"Thank you."

"I'm happy to help!"

"Good luck Gwen!" Elyan shot by. They moved around the corner to see him juggling a backpack and a duffle bag, and he was in the process of switching his shoes on the run.

"Thanks Elyan! Are you late?"

"Obviously! And it's not even a long practice today so the whole time counts! Catch you later! You too, Merlin!"

"Bye!"

"He's my brother, if you didn't know."

"Actually, no I didn't. But wait, you're both seniors…"

"My mom got pregnant with me shortly after she had him, so I'm on the baby side of the seniors, while he's one of the oldest."

"Fair enough. We're in English together."

"Ah, with Kilgharrah, right? That man is one of the strangest people I've met."

"Agreed. "

"There you are!"

Morgana skipped up behind them, Lancelot trailing behind. "We looked for you near the auditorium, but obviously didn't find you. Oh! By the way, Merlin this is Lance. Lance, Merlin." They shook hands, exchanging the usual formalities. "What were you doing down here?"

"Merlin wanted to hear me sing, so we had to find somewhere no one would hear."

"Aren't you auditioning for the lead?" Lance asked, smiling.

"Yes, but it's different auditioning and just singing when someone asks you to."

"I know, I'm just teasing. I'm the same way."

"Still," Morgana joined in, "I still think it's very impressive that you got her to sing for you, Merlin. It took me forever to get her to sing for me."

"Why, thank you. Don't feel bad though. I have magical abilities in the power of persuasion."

"Do you now?"

"Maybe. But I wouldn't want to reveal my secrets."

"I'm sure."

"So Merlin, think you'll be auditioning today?" Lance questioned.

"Nope. I'm not the singing type. Though, I might give tech crew a go. My mom's been encouraging all the art classes to help with the sets, but I think working with the lights could be cool. But as for now, I'm off."

"Are you helping paint today?"

"Not yet, no. My mom's down there now working with the tech director on what they're going to have to build and eventually paint. I'm going back to the Honors Commons and reading on the couches. I want to have this play finished by Thursday."

They said their farewells, and while Merlin walked away, Lance led them down near the auditorium, but instead of going straight into the double doors, they turned and walked to the practice rooms. Lance turned to Gwen.

"I figured it'd be a good idea to warm up a bit in here before we go on. Would you want to?"

"Oh, uhm, sure. What time is your audition?"

"4:10. We've got plenty of time. You're at 3:45, right?"

Gwen nodded, and Lance played the first chord for scales. Halfway through warm-ups, Morgana excused herself from the room, promising to be back before the auditions. The two continued to their upper registers, and Gwen was thoroughly impressed at how high Lance was able to sing. It was also really nice to have someone playing the piano for her warm-ups. When she warmed up alone, it normally took twice as long because she had difficulties finding the correct notes for each step up or down. She figured he must have been playing for awhile as she noted how deftly his fingers moved from one key to the next. The movements complimented his arms rather nicely.

"Wanna give your song a go?"

Gwen blinked. "Sure, but I don't have the music with me."

"It's no problem. I think I know most of it."

He began a few measures before, giving her just enough time to take a breath. She finished with no hiccups, cracks, or stutters and found him smiling at her.

"That was really, _really,_ good! If I get Beast, I'd love to sing opposite of you."

"Thank you! So you're going for Beast, then? Which song did you chose? Oo! Let me guess: _If I Can't Love Her_?"

"Is there really any other option?" He grinned once more. "I haven't gotten a lead yet either, so maybe this year we'll both get our lucky breaks."

"Will it be hard doing the play and football at the same time?"

"It'll make me really busy, but I think I can handle it. I've done both the last two years, and was always able to make arrangements. I made sure to write it on my audition sheet, and Arthur knows too, so I should be fine."

"I'm surprised Arthur doesn't have you sign something saying you'll exclusively give your time to the team."

"Naw, he's a tough captain, but he understands. He's a nice guy deep-down, but sometimes it's hard to see."

Laughing, Gwen asked him to sing his audition song. Maybe auditioning wasn't such a bad idea after all. She wouldn't mind hanging out with Lancelot, or working opposite of him if they both got the leads. She'll have to thank Morgana later for persuading her to actually step out of her comfort zone and audition.

~x~

Morgana wandered aimlessly through the school, passing the time before Gwen's audition. She was about to complete her second circle when she heard Merlin call her. Spinning around, she spied him near the wall, stretched out on one of the small purple couches.

"How's the play going?" She asked as she strolled over and sat down.

"Eh. Claudio's freaking out because he thinks Hero cheated on him, so they're both upset. Then Beatrice is trying to get Benedick to kill Claudio for her, and it's all a bit of a mess."

"It get's better."

"Oh I know, I've read it before. I just think I'd enjoy it more if it wasn't for school."

"Right, that project with Arthur."

"Yup."

"You're coming over this weekend, right?"

"You know everything, don't you?"

"I try."

They both fell silent, listening to the whirr of the air conditioning. Morgana thought of ways to break the silence, but she didn't believe she needed to. It was a comfortable silence, like the ones that happen with close friends. She stole a glance at him and he appeared to be deep in thought.

"What're you thinking about?"

"Did the auditions finish early?"

"No, they're still going on."

"Then why are you here?" Taken aback by this question, and perhaps a bit offended, Morgana went to stand up as Merlin stumbled to clarify his words. "No, no, what I meant was why are you here and not at the auditions with Gwen? I thought you were the one to convince her to do it and figured you'd want to see her. I have no problem with your company." He smiled up at her, and she couldn't help but smile back.

"Good, because I was beginning to enjoy yours, too. And she and Lance are warming up and I figured there's nothing I can do to help with that, so I got out of their hair until it's time."

"I really hope she does well. She seemed a bit terrified when I was talking with her."

"She always gets like this before auditions. Normally I'm the one calming her down, but I know Lance is more than capable, and probably more reassuring in this case. I'll make an appearance before she goes on."

"I see. Is there anything she tries to get you to do?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well you convinced her to do the musical, and I'm guessing some of the other auditions too. Does it work the other way around?"

Morgana paused. She was a pretty independent person, and it took a lot to convince her to do something, especially if she was hesitant in the first place. "Generally no. She did get me to take a few dance classes with her in junior high, but that's about it."

"I thought you said you didn't dance?"

"I don't. I was decent in the class, but there were too many rules about posture and not enough freedom to just dance how I wanted to, so I stopped."

"But you still like dancing?"

"I do. Remember I told you I was going to teach you?"

"You did. We'll have to find a ti-"

"MERLIN!"

Merlin and Morgana turned to look at the newcomer, and Morgana stiffened. A pretty girl dressed in spandex shorts and a tank top

came bouncing over. She poked Merlin in the side, causing them both to giggle, and made Morgana want to find the nearest trashcan.

"Who's your friend?" she asked, plastering a smile on her face.

"I'm Freya!" the girl told her excitedly. "Merlin and I are in Foods together with Ms. Lamia. She's so lame. What's your name?"

"Morgana. Merlin and I are in a few more together."

"Cool! Are you a senior too?"

"Yes."

"I'm a sophomore. I don't think I could be a senior yet. I'm not ready for college. I'm having too much fun here!"

"I don't think any of us are really ready for college either," Merlin added.

Morgana had to agree with that. She wasn't sure what it was about this girl, but she was not a fan. She was fawning all over Merlin for a start. Even if it was any other guy, she didn't understand why girls had to act a certain way around boys. Gwen called it the dating game, and according to her, Morgana didn't play well. Then again, she had never been interested in anyone before besides Lance- not that she was interested in Merlin now.

"Well it was really nice meeting you, but I have to get back to practice! They'll wonder where I've gone! Bye Merlin!" She waved, twinkling her fingers, and was off.

"They do always find the pretty ones for cheerleading."

"Poms, actually."

"Oh. That too I suppose."

"I'm really glad she's in my class though. I don't think I could make it through without her. It's bad. Have you ever taken it?'

"Fortunately no. But that's good. She seems nice."

"She's pretty good at cooking too. Which is wonderful because I suck at it."

"You can't be that bad."

"Two days ago, I burnt the pasta we were going to use for mac-n-cheese."

"How did you-"

"I don't even know."

Morgana giggled. "Well, so cooking isn't your thing. I'll tell you what is. Chemistry. I have no idea how you figured that lab out all by yourself. Gwen and I couldn't get through half of it. Next time, I'm claiming you as my partner. And Gwen can tag along too if he let's us have a group of three."

"Sounds good to me. I'm not a huge fan of doing labs alone."

"Perfect." She glanced up at the clock across the room. It read 3:35. "Oh! It's almost time. I should head back."

"Ok, see you tomorrow! Wish her luck for me." He extended a fist.

"Will do." Morgana said as she pounded it and headed off to go find Gwen.

~x~

Gwen was counting down the minutes. Her heart wasn't nearly racing as much as it had been a half an hour ago. Her and Lance had sung through most of the songs in the practice room. She was really looking forward to this show now and was determined to get Belle. Just as she was about to walk through the door, Morgana sped around the corner and enveloped her in a big hug.

"Break a leg!" she squeezed. "Merlin wishes you luck too!"

"Oh you went to see Merlin, did you?"

"Shut up. How was Lance?" Morgana playfully nudged Gwen's arm.

"Lovely. Now shoo, I have to audition."

"I'll be watching from the audience!" She gave Gwen another hug and ran off to the main entrance.

She smiled as she watched her friend go. Morgana may be incredibly pushy at times, but she knew Gwen well enough to push her in the right direction. Every time Gwen had given in, she would discover Morgana had been right and Gwen found herself in something new that she loved. This time was no different. She'll need to find a way to pay Morgana back. She smiled mischievously as she thought of their new friend. The door in front of her opened and a senior tech crewmember ushered her in. This was it.

~x~

Arthur had snuck in the auditorium behind Morgana, determined to scare her for once. However, Morgana had already climbed the steps on one side of the seats and figuring she'd see him if he tried to follow, he went up on the other side of the auditorium. He felt sticky from practice and wanted to get home but his sister insisted on staying until Gwen auditioned. Waiting a few more minutes couldn't hurt, he supposed. Maybe he could try to figure out why this was such a big deal. He spied Gwen enter from the side door and glide up onto the stage. The lighting was very flattering on her from up here. He could see the dust hovering in the air above her chocolate hair. She introduced herself and the music director began to play.

He was not expecting the voice that sounded from her mouth. So _this_ was why Morgana was so excited. Gwen's voice was enchanting, and he couldn't take his eyes off of her. He had never been one for concerts or theatre, but he would pay to see the show if he could listen to her sing for a few hours. Maybe he'll have to accompany Morgana to the next choral concert. It was over as soon as it began, and the directors began scribbling in their notes. Gwen bowed and walked off, a newfound hop in her step. Her confidence had definitely been boosted, and he'd be lying if he said it wasn't attractive. He scrabbled down the seats as he noticed Morgana leaving, and chased after her. Outside, she was already chatting with Gwen.

"You were so wonderful, you really were! I told you it was a good idea!"

"I know, thank you. I'm really happy I did it. But now we wait."

Arthur stepped in. "I was in there actually, and I thought you sounded amazing."

To her credit, Gwen blushed. "Thank you. I just hope it was good enough."

"They'd be ridiculous not to cast you," Morgana squeezed her arm. "We'll talk later though. This one needs to go home and shower."

"I don't smell that bad."

Both girls rolled their eyes, and Morgana dragged Arthur away. The ride home was pleasant and Arthur was relieved to shower the sweat off. After his shower, he headed to the kitchen to scoop up some granola before dinner. It was easier to eat from a cup anyways.

"Are you humming 'Home'?"

Startled, he jumped back, nearly dropping his snack on the floor. "Morgana! Jesus, can you stop? You're gonna give me a heart attack by the time I leave high school."

"You really hate me doing that?"

"Yes."

"Good. Now what were you humming?"

"I don't know. Can't a man hum without being disturbed?"

"Not with a sister like me."

"Apparently. How unfortunate for me."

"But you were humming 'Home'."

"I don't even know what that is."

"Gwen's audition song."

"Oh." Had he really been humming it? Well, how could he be blamed if it was a catchy song? "Well, it was the last song we heard."

"Right. Well, I can't blame you anyways. She did great. I really hope she gets in."

Arthur turned to the sink to grab a glass of water as Morgana walked off. _I hope so too._

-x-x-x-x-x-

_**Well that's all for now lovelies! I believe I am finally done with all the exposition, so the future chapters will definitely be adding more side characters as well as looking at our mains in more depth, and we'll start getting into the thick of things! Homecoming is also on the horizon! Please review and let me know your thoughts! I love to hear from all of you! :D**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Hello friends! I am here! Been busy, as I've just moved in to my dorm this weekend and school starts Tuesday! Thank you to all who have been reading and all who have reviewed! :D**_

-x-x-x-x-x-

Morgana raised her head from the table as the door to the Chemistry room opened and was greeted with a jittery Gwen. "No list yet?"

"Not until third hour. Luckily I don't have to go out of my way to see it because it's being posted by the choir room."

"How do you feel?"

"Terrible."

"Well it can't be that bad. You were one of the only ones called back for Belle."

Gwen fidgeted for a moment. "I know. But I still hate waiting."

"How's Lance?"

"Nervous as well. There was only one other guy called back for the Beast, and he wasn't very good, but it's still no fun waiting."

"If you two both get those parts, you'll be spending an awful lot of time together." Morgana teased.

"What are you trying to imply?"

Before Morgana could answer, Merlin raced through the door right as the bell rung. Flustered, he sat down quickly, flinging his stuff onto the table before Gaius could scold him. Morgana shot him a puzzled look and in return he gave her his signature shy, yet sweet smile. Gaius lectured for the first fifteen minutes before giving a brief explanation of the lab they needed to complete today. Morgana smiled to herself, finding she was looking forward to working on the lab. Or at least looking forward to working with her lab partner. _He's a good partner, _she told herself. _I like working with him because he's competent._ _Intelligence goes a long way._

They worked through the lab efficiently, finishing before every other group. The conversation continued to flow smoothly as they answered the questions in their lab packets. They eventually reached the topic of Homecoming, and Morgana steered the conversation in the direction of dates.

"Did you guys have to go with dates at your old school?" Morgana pried.

"No, I don't think so, but I never went anyways."

"How come?"

Merlin shrugged. "I didn't really have anyone to go with, friends or a date. And I never felt like asking anyone."

"And what about this year?"

"Oh, I'm going this year. It seems like they'd be a lot more fun."

"Are you going with someone?"

"Hopefully."

Morgana pouted her lip slightly, and turned back to the questions. His secrecy was frustrating and she wished he would give her a straight answer. _Or maybe it's because he can't yet. Maybe he's waiting._ She scolded herself. There was no reason to get her hopes up. She couldn't even tell if he saw her as more than a friend.

"What about you?"

Morgana looked up from her packet. "Sorry?"

"Are you going with anyone?"

"I don't know. No one has asked me yet."

Gaius began speaking before Merlin could answer, and only stopped when the bell rang. Morgana wanted to pick up the conversation again, but there was no way of dragging the topic back without making it awkward or her seem desperate. She waved to Merlin and Gwen and headed off to her Post-WWII class.

~x~

Merlin was one of the first to enter the Foods classroom, butterflies in his stomach. He opened the fridge in back, double-checking the item was still there. It was. He made his way back to the table and slid into his seat. A minute later, he felt two gentle pokes in his side. He swiveled his head around and found Freya giggling at him. He returned her smile and she settled in next to him for the lesson. Ms. Lamia droned on. The clock mocked him, the minutes slowly dripping by. Fortunately, they finished up about three minutes before the bell, and Ms. Lamia allowed them to work on their homework. Knowing he already had permission, he slipped a note to Freya.

_I heard there's something really cool in the back fridge. You should go check it out when she's not looking._

He knew it wasn't his best, but it got the point across. She read the note and looked up at him with an extremely confused face. He gave her an encouraging nod, and after glancing back up at the teacher, stood up from her seat hesitantly. As she walked over, Merlin turned back around and blew on his hands. They were slightly sweaty all of a sudden. Twenty seconds later, he got the reaction he was looking for. Freya squealed and faced him with a beam on her face. In her hands she held his poorly frosted cake with the single word 'Homecoming?' written on the top. By this time, the whole class had turned to see what the commotion was, and Merlin's face began to resemble a tomato. Thankfully, the bell rang at that moment and the class lost interest quickly and most bolted for the door. Freya walked over and after placing the cake down on the table, wrapped Merlin into a big hug.

"Of course I'll go with you!"

~x~

This was it. All she had to do was turn the corner, and the list would be there. All of her emotions were currently held to the wall by a single piece of tape. Before she could gather up the courage to walk up to it, she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Ready to go?" Lance's voice slightly wavered, betraying his nerves.

"I think so," Gwen replied, fully knowing it was a complete lie.

Despite the twenty-foot walk to the list being an incredibly nerve-wrecking journey, it was worth it. The first two names at the top of the list were hers and Lance's. She wasn't completely sure how long they stood there, but they jolted out of their daze as the bell sounded. Gwen couldn't stop smiling throughout the whole class period, and she noticed Lance had the same problem. She bee-lined it over to him after class.

"So the read through is today?"

"Yes, right after school in auditorium."

"Ok. Wait, don't you have a game today?"

Lance nodded. "It's not until seven, so the team isn't getting there until six-ish. I'll have plenty of time."

"Nervous?"

"About the game or the read-thru?"

"Both."

"Well, we don't really do much at a read-thru, so not that. The game…yeah, I'm a bit nervous. But we have an easier team to beat tonight, so I think we'll be okay."

"Right. Okay. Uh…so we don't have to prepare anything for the read-thru?"

"Nope."

Gwen let out a sigh she didn't know she was holding. "That makes me feel better."

"Honestly, Gwen, don't worry about it. You'll be fine. The hard part is over."

"I can't wait to tell Morgana about this! Oh! And Merlin! And anyone who wants to know!"

"Well you can at lunch," Lance pointed out. "Don't you sit with them?"

"I do." Gwen's eyes lit up for a moment before taking on a mischievous glint. "Speaking of those two, they would make a good match, don't you think?"

"Merlin and Morgana? Uhh, I guess? I hadn't really thought about it. But I guess I could see it."

"Good. Because I may need your help."

"With?" Lance asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Getting them together. I think Morgana really likes him but is just too proud to admit it."

"That's Morgana for you. And Merlin?"

"I can't really tell. That's where you come in."

"You want me to find out if he likes her?"

"If you could."

Unfortunately, her plan was short-lived as she discovered at lunch that Merlin had already asked a girl named Freya. She was proud at how well Morgana had taken it, since normally she would've made a snarky remark and stalked off. She would talk to Morgana later, but for now she wanted to revel in her own excitement. After Merlin, Gwen had announced her happy news and it was received with smiles, words of congratulations, and even a few claps. The day flew by, and she suddenly found herself in her seventh hour study hall face-to-face with Arthur Pendragon. He had come over to the small table she worked at and asked if it'd be all right to sit. She, of course, had allowed him.

"So I heard the good news."

"About?"

Arthur smiled. "The musical. Lance told me you got Belle. Congratulations!"

"Thank you! I know the hard work has only begun, but its just such a relief to have the casting done."

"I can imagine. But you deserved it. You were great at the auditions. I look forward to hearing you in the show."

Gwen felt a blush creep up into her cheeks. Arthur had never been so complimentary towards her before, but she wasn't complaining. It was a nice feeling, and she was pleased to discover a kinder side to him compared to his normal confident, laid-back, and slightly arrogant attitude.

"Thank you. I'm looking forward to your game tonight."

"Ah yes." He leaned back in his chair. "We're going to win."

"How can you be so sure?"

"I have to be. If we're going to win the championship this year, we have to give it our all every game. We have to be in the mind-set to win. So as captain, I have to show my team that I believe in them and our abilities, and say that we have a shot even when I think we don't. If I do my job right, then they should be able to go out there confidently, and do all the rest."

"I didn't realize there was that pressure as captain."

"It's not bad once you get used to it. But I really want us to win for our last year here."

"I'll be rooting for you."

"Thanks. And I'll be crossing my legs, or whatever it is you theatre people do for good luck."

"You wish us 'break a leg'," she laughed.

He joined in her laughter. "That's really weird."

"It is. But Lance told me it started back in Shakespeare's time. The stage was slightly slanted so everyone could see, and the poorer people had to stand up front. Apparently, if they cried enough from your performance, it would get the stage wet and pose the risk of an actor slipping and breaking a leg."

"Hmm. That makes more sense now. Though I think I still prefer a simple 'Good Luck' before a game."

"There's nothing wrong with that. If I see you before the game, I'll tell you just that!"

He shot her another smile, which she happily returned. She hoped he would join her more often; she enjoyed having company. Plus, Gwen found herself wanting to become better acquainted with her best friend's brother.

~x~

Today was not her day. First, she finds out Merlin already asked that Freya girl to Homecoming, and now Arthur's idiot friend was trying to get her to go with him.

"But Morgana, just think about it. I would be the knight in shining armor and you would be my beautiful maiden that I've rescued from loneliness."

"I'm impressed by your use of vocabulary Gwaine," Morgana retorted. "But I don't need rescuing. I'm fine on my own."

Gwaine wasn't deterred. "But I need someone to walk out with before the Homecoming game, and I was hoping I could go with a beautiful, smart lady, like yourself."

"Think again. I'm not going with you."

"Why?"

"I don't want to. Get over yourself. You can't just flip your hair and expect every girl to fall for you."

Gwaine looked crestfallen, but he couldn't back down without fighting. "I can try."

"Good luck with that."

Morgana knew she had been cruel, but right now she didn't care. She brooded throughout art, letting Gwaine and Merlin chat without her. She felt pathetic for being upset and knew she needed Gwen. Merlin's mother directed the class to find partners and Morgana got up before Merlin could ask her. She found a freshman named Mordred, and teamed up with him, leaving a confused Merlin to work with Gwaine.

"So why, out of everyone here, did you choose to work with me?" Mordred asked, looking slightly baffled.

"Why not? You seem nice enough, and I thought I'd like to meet someone new."

"I see. You're Morgana, right?"

"That's me. How'd you-"

"I'm good with names and faces. I've seen you pick Arthur up after practice, and I know he had a sister named Morgana. It was just an educated guess, really." He seemed almost embarrassed.

"Well I think it's clever. So you're on the team?"

"Not really. I just help with the equipment. I have a pretty good kick, though, if they ever need me."

"You should let Arthur know. Just in case."

Mordred nodded. "Will do."

"So are you looking at the sports track for high school?"

"Maybe." He shrugged. "I'm trying a bunch of stuff out this year. I'm helping with the football team, I got into the musical, and I'm thinking about working on the Yearbook."

"You got in the musical?"

"Yeah, I'm Chip, the little teacup."

"That's fantastic! Two of my friends got the leads!"

"That's really cool! Gwen and…Lance, right?" Morgana nodded. "We have our read-thru in a bit. I can't wait to meet everyone."

"I'm sure they'll be glad to have you," Morgana said. Mordred was incredibly sweet, and was definitely going to win over the cast. As the school day ended, she found herself in a much better mood than before, and even said goodbye to Merlin and wished Gwaine luck at the game. She brought Mordred over to meet Gwen, and after reassuring Gwen she was all right and they would talk later, she let the two of them walk to the auditorium. Grabbing her things for the weekend, she headed off to find Arthur so they could drive home before the game.

~x~

Arthur happily dug into his chicken fried rice as Merlin scooped out some white rice with vegetables. Arthur had first been hesitant about having Merlin over, but over the past two weeks, they had gotten along quite well. After their initial dislike of one another, they had bonded over the odd and sometimes creepy comments made by their literature teacher. Arthur was grateful that he found a friend outside of the football team. As much as he loved those guys, sometimes he needed a break and Merlin was a welcome one. They had made decent progress on their project, but had ordered the food when Merlin's stomach wouldn't cease growling.

"I heard you already had a date for Homecoming," he said, between mouthfuls of food.

"Yeah, a sophomore named Freya. We're in Foods together."

"Why'd you go for a sophomore?"

Merlin shrugged. "She's really sweet and easy to talk to. And I think she's cute."

"Morgana described her as annoying and airheaded," Arthur stated.

"She can get a little overbearing at times, but she means well. She tries to be nice to everyone, even if she's not the biggest fan of them. And she may not be the smartest but she tries. Anyways, we're just going to the dance. It's not like we're dating."

"Yet. I actually thought you were going to ask Morgana," Arthur admitted.

"Really?"

"Yeah. It seemed like you guys got along pretty well."

"We do, and she's a great friend. I did think about it, but to be honest, I don't think I'd have the courage to ask her."

"It takes a brave man. Gwaine tried asking her today and she shot him down. Luckily, it takes a lot to bring that man's ego down so he was fine for the game. I'm sure his head is as big as ever since he made the winning touchdown."

"How does he do it? Just casually ask a girl like that? I had to prepare and everything."

"I'll let you know when I find out." Arthur finished chewing, then turned to Merlin. "Speaking of which, I need your advice."

"Mine? About what?"

"Gwen. I think I want to ask her to the dance, but I have no idea how or what she'll say. She's not dating anyone, right?"

"Not that I know of. Why don't you just ask Morgana?"

"Think about it Merlin. Would I ever hear the end of that?"

Merlin chuckled. "Probably not. Uhm, well I baked a cake for Freya, so maybe make something to give her so you don't have the chance of screwing up if you ask her with words? She's in the musical, so maybe do something with bells or roses?"

Arthur sat back in his chair and blinked. This kid was a genius. "That's brilliant. How did you think of that?"

"I just did the same thing with Freya. We met in Foods class, so I figured I'd bake something since our teacher never lets us."

"I like the way you think, Merlin. Thank you."

He shoveled another spoonful of food into his mouth as the gears started turning, and his mind was set on Gwen.

-x-x-x-x-x-

_**What'd you think? Hopefully I can get another chapter up next weekend, but with school starting, I will be quite busy! I hope you guys enjoyed it and let me know what you thought in your reviews! See you next time! :D**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Sorry for not putting out a chapter last week! My muse was just not feeling up to it and wouldn't help me out at all. Plus, school's been pretty busy and I've been writing a lot for it! But I'm here now! Here's a thank you for my lovelies for reviewing! **_

-x-x-x-x-x-

_Mondays are the worst. _It wasn't that she didn't love school, but the burden teachers placed on the students was overwhelming at times, especially being an Honor student. Morgana yawned sleepily as she pulled out her notebook and text for Chemistry. She stole a glance over at Merlin sitting next to her. He was more jittery than normal, but she didn't want to seem odd for noticing. Her curiosity eventually won over, and she leaned closer to him.

"Something on your mind?"

He turned his head slightly, giving her a sheepish smile. "What do you mean?" She arched an eyebrow and continued to stare at him. He breathed out a laugh, and motioned for her to move closer. Their shoulders were touching and Morgana couldn't help but become a little jittery herself. "Ok, if I tell you, you have to promise not to say anything." She nodded her head, keeping eye contact. "Arthur's going to ask Gwen to Homecoming."

Morgana's eyes widened, and she let out a tiny gasp. She wasn't entirely opposed to the idea; it was just weird having her brother ask her best friend to the dance. She'll have to talk to Arthur later on whether or not he's serious about her, or whether he's asking as a friend. But by the way Merlin said he, she was guessing the latter. Her face broke into a smile as she shared in Merlin's excitement.

"How? When?"

"Today during their 7th hour study hall. He's doing some sort of "follow the flowers" thing, but after that I'm not completely sure."

"She's going to be so excited! She's been getting nervous since no one has asked her yet."

"Has she had a date every year?"

"No, we normally went together with a group. But she was hoping this year someone would since its our senior year. And now she get's her wish!"

"And what about you? Now that she'll have a date, what will you do?"

Morgana internally flinched, hoping he wouldn't mention that. She understood he was going with Freya and was growing used to that fact. She had even been kind enough to tell him last Friday that Freya could sit with them at lunch if she wanted, but him mentioning her lack of a date surprisingly wounded her pride.

"I'm sure I'll figure it out."

"I heard Gwaine asked you." Morgana chuckled, nodding. "Why didn't you say yes?"

"I'm not that desperate for a date to go with him. Yes, he's a nice guy with a large ego, but I just didn't see myself having much fun with him. It's nothing personal." She stopped for a moment, then added, "He wasn't saying anything about it, was he? Did I hurt his feelings?"

"No, no, he's fine. Bounced right back. In fact, I think he found himself another girl anyways."

Morgana smiled. "Good for him."

"I totally understand why you said no, though. I didn't peg you as a girl looking for the athletic-type anyways."

"What did you peg me as?"

He looked her over, furrowing his eyebrows. "I'm not sure yet. But definitely someone who knows what she wants, and isn't going to settle just to be nice."

"That works for me."

_Merlin can be such an idiot, sometimes. _They worked through the period, occasionally glancing back at Gwen and giggling to themselves. Morgana felt like a kid again, teasing the other children about a secret only she knew. Well, if she wasn't going to be any more than a friend to Merlin, she would at least be a damn good friend. Being petty isn't worth missing out on great times, she decided. As they left class, Morgana said goodbye to Gwen, accompanying it with a wink, leaving her utterly confused. She maneuvered her way through the sea of bodies, hiked up the stairs, and plopped into a desk next to Arthur in their Post WWII-Europe class.

"So you're asking Gwen to Homecoming?"

Arthur jumped, looking a bit shocked that she knew, but she could see the wheels instantly turning. It only took him a few moments to figure it out.

"Merlin told you."

"Yup. He was acting oddly excited about something, so I asked him."

"I guess that man can't keep a secret. Can you?"

Morgana nodded. "Of course, Arthur. I'm not going to spoil your fun. Just answer me this: Do you intend to take her as a friend, or are you hoping for more afterwards?"

He looked pensive for a moment. She was grateful that he at least seemed like he was putting thought into this. "I'm not going to ask her as just a friend, but I'm not saying I'm for sure going to ask her our after the dance either. I want to see how it goes, but I think I do really like her."

Arthur looked like a helpless puppy at the moment, waiting to be scolded. Maybe she needed to stop giving him such a hard time. He'd definitely grown up the last few years, which was to be expected. Morgana knew she had to start cutting him some slack.

"You don't need to be scared, Arthur, I think it's sweet. Just don't break her heart. Then I'll have to deal with it from both sides, and I really don't want to do that."

Arthur laughed. "Don't worry, Morgana. I'm not going to hurt her."

"Good."

She hated how everyone, including her, was a slave to the bell. It rang, everyone stood up and walked. The next time it rang, you were either in class or toast. She had never been late in her life, unless she was waiting on Arthur, so getting to class on time was never an issue. The Psych classroom was always warm, so she shrugged off her sweater as she took her seat. A minute later, the bell rang and two students came over the P.A. system for the daily announcements.

"_Heeeeello Albion Central! Welcome back to another week. We only have to get through this one and then-"_

"_HOMECOMING WEEK! We know you're all excited to hear the themes for the week, and we finally have the long-awaited list!"_

"_Monday is class color day! Freshmen wear pink, sophomores wear green, juniors are black and white, and seniors are blue!"_

"_Tuesday is Western day, so bring your plaid and your cowboy hats. Wednesday touches on our "Under the Sea" theme with Beach Day! But no, you cannot just wear a swimsuit. Normal uniform code still applies."_

"_And that goes for all days! Thursday is Harry Potter day so dust off those wands! And finally Friday is School Pride day, so bust out with Albion Central's red and gold!"_

The rest of the announcements continued as normal, though they were no longer very interesting. Her Psych class went well, but Morgana always looked forward to going to Calc. Not only did she enjoy math, but Gwen, Merlin, and a ton of her other friends were in that class. Her wish was soon granted, and she moseyed on overto the classroom. When she arrived, Arthur and Leon were chatting and a few other students were getting settled in their seats. She found a small folded note on her desk, and picked it up once she got settled. As she began to unfold it, someone poked her on both sides from behind and turning, she found Gwen smiling.

"Hi!" Gwen greeted her, before noticing the piece of paper in her hands. "What's that?"

"I don't know. I was just about to see."

Before Morgana could open it, Merlin showed up and began chatting with both of them. The bell soon rang, and Morgana resorted to opening it when she sat down. Unfolding the paper, she saw there were only a couple of lines written on it:

_Morgana,_

_Lucky number 7 is a prime number._

_Your name has 7 letters, so you are my 'prime' choice for Homecoming._

_Will you go with me?_

_-Leon_

_P.S. We can go as friends since I know you have a thing for Merlin, but I still think you're pretty cool and would love to go with you. :D_

Morgana was speechless. Her mind wasn't sure what to compute first. How did Leon know _anything_ about what she thought of Merlin? She wasn't that obvious, was she? Besides, she didn't _really_ have a thing for him. Freya just wasn't the right girl for him. She glanced back down at his note. _He is such a sweet guy. How has no one noticed how great he is before?_ She was definitely going to say yes. Regardless of his reasoning, she was grateful for his clarification that they were going to go as friends. Unfortunately, he sat in front of her so she couldn't grab his attention. She showed the letter to Gwen, who instantly approved. After class, Morgana quickly packed up and caught Leon on his way out, tapping him on his shoulder.

"Absolutely. Leon, that was probably the cutest note I've ever gotten. I'd love to go with you."

He smiled. "I knew you couldn't resist my cheesy math puns. But like I said in my note, I'm totally cool going as friends."

"Right. Oh, about that and the whole Merlin thing, I'm not into-"

"Yes you are, Morgana. Don't deny it. I'm very good with these things. I can smell it from a mile away!"

Leon wore a teasingly smug grin, and she rolled her eyes. "You think you're so clever."

"Sometimes. Especially in math. But I won't say anything Morgana, I promise. I just might tease you."

"I think I can deal with that."

"Great! But hey, don't give up just yet."

"What do you mean?"

"Merlin is still new here, so he didn't have a ton of options for who he asked. Nothing against Freya, but she was simple to ask. He just has to stick around you longer to see how awesome you are."

Morgana was really starting to like Leon. She had known him as long as Arthur had, but was pleased that she could start getting to know him, especially since they were now going to the dance together. _I think I just gained a new confidant as well. _

**~x~**

Freya tailed Merlin as they made their way through the cafeteria. They grabbed the two remaining seats at their table. They had completed their lunch table with the additions of Freya and the little freshman, Mordred. He didn't really know the kid very well, but he knew Morgana had become fond of him ever since they partnered up during art class last week. He was pretty sure they had gym together…

"So you told him yes, right?" Gwen was clarifying something with Morgana.

"Of course. Besides, we're only going as friends so it's not that big of deal."

Merlin piped in. "Did someone ask you?"

"Leon."

"Oh! Well, congrats!"

Merlin hadn't known those two were close. Then again, he didn't know a lot of things about many of the people here. This was only his third week here. But still, he didn't think he saw those two ever interact. _You can't see everything_, he reminded himself. Digging into his lunch, the conversation switched from the dance to the theme days. Apparently, dressing up for the theme days was a pretty big thing at this school, and most people participated. Merlin made a mental note to remember what to wear each day. He glanced up as Mordred was asking if it was all right to just wear the colors, or was he expected to go full out with face paint and accessories. The answers were mixed, but he was reassured that he could go with whatever he felt comfortable.

His next period flew by, and Merlin found himself in Kilgharrah's

class chatting with Arthur, preparing him for next hour.

"Is everything set up?" Merlin whispered.

"The bell is, yes. But the petals are just going to have to wait until I run down there and do them after this."

Merlin looked skeptical. "Are you going to have enough time?"

"I hope so." Arthur shrugged. "Thanks for helping me do this. I don't know if I would've had the courage to by myself, honestly."

"Of course. But I'm sure one of your other friends could've helped."

"They could've, but I actually think you're more clever at this, as much as I hate to say it. And since I hate saying it, you're only gonna hear this once."

"Got it."

"Speaking of the other guys, they're actually coming to hang out at my place this Friday since our game is on Saturday. Gwen and Morgana are gonna be there too. Wanna come?"

"Maybe. I mean, I have a _ton_ of other friends that are _begging_ me to hang out with them and come to their parties on Friday, too. But I think I can probably swing by."

"I think you think you're hilarious, Merlin, but you're not actually that funny."

"I amuse myself."

"I bet. Well, if you promise not to make any more 'hilarious' jokes that we'll be in danger of dying from laughter, you should come do the after-school stuff with us next week. There's float building, paintball one day, and I think this year they're giving us discounts on laser tag."

"Sweet. I'm game. But are you?"

"Me? Of course I am."

"What about in 30 seconds?" Merlin asked, looking up at the clock. "Because that's when the bell's gonna ring."

"Thirty sec-oh, shit! Okay, okay. I think I'm ready."

"Don't chicken out."

Arthur glared. "I won't. I can ask a girl to Homecoming, Merlin. It's not that hard."

"If you say so."

Arthur would've responded, but the bell cut him off. Instead, he dashed out of the room, hoping to beat Gwen to his study hall. Merlin headed off to the gym. He hated going. He wasn't opposed to working out and getting fit, but Coach Agravaine rubbed him the wrong way. Luckily, he wasn't the only one who felt this way. There were only a handful of people that didn't mind the coach. The group of boys was led out to the track and the coach instructed them to run four times around, equaling a mile. Merlin set off at a quick pace, wanting to finish somewhat quickly. Soon, he found Mordred was jogging in the lane next to him, matching his pace.

"Hi," Mordred said. "I know we sit at the same table at lunch and are in art together, but I don't think we've ever properly introduced ourselves." He held out a hand.

"I think you're right. I'm Merlin. And you're Mordred, correct?" Merlin took his hand and shook it, not breaking his stride.

"That's right. You're the new senior?" Merlin nodded. "How'd that happen?"

Merlin quickly explained that his mom, their art teacher, had gotten this job and since he didn't have any reason to stay at his old school, he transferred. Mordred listened intently, nodding as best as he could as they jogged.

"Well I'd say friend-wise, you've done pretty well for yourself," Mordred commented.

"I could say the same about you," Merlin laughed. "A freshmen becoming friends with the seniors so quickly."

Mordred huffed. "You have a point, though I really only know Morgana so far, and she brought me to the lunch table."

"She was one of the first people I met, too."

"I guess we're both just lucky…or know how to use our friendly charm."

Merlin wasn't sure if that was supposed to be funny or not, but he laughed with Mordred anyways. Or as best as he could while running. They had gone around two full times, and were about a quarter of the way through their third. He decided he liked this kid. Mordred could be awkward, as he just experienced, but he was friendly enough.

"Are you a fan of the coach?" Merlin asked when no other question had come to mind.

"He's all right. I know not many people like him, but I think he's trying his best. I try not to judge too quickly, or before knowing what's happening on the other side. If you don't like him, that's totally fine, I just don't wanna completely write him off yet, you know?"

"I understand. It actually sounds like something someone I know would have said," Merlin agreed, thinking of Freya. "Or actually, you know her now. Freya thinks like that, too."

"Oh yeah, she seems nice. You're taking her to Homecoming, right?"

"Yeah! You going with anyone?"

"As of late, no. But I'm thinking of asking one of the girls in the musical. She's my dancing partner in one of the silverware numbers."

"Oh, who? And wait, you're in the musical?"

"Her name's Kara. She's a freshman, so I don't think you'd know her. But yeah, I was cast as Chip."

"Nice."

Their conversation dwindled, as it was becoming too difficult to run and talk at the same time. Merlin's mind wandered back to Arthur and hoped he didn't chicken out or screw up his plan. He knew he'd find out later, either way.

**~x~**

Gwen walked up to her usual table, expecting to find Arthur already sitting there. Instead, she found nothing but a trail of rose petals leading off into the library adjacent to the Honors Commons. Curious, she sets her books down and drapes her backpack over the chair, and followed them. As soon as she entered the library, the petals made a sharp left around the corner. She continued walking, taking note that it appeared they led either to the fiction or the romance section. A turn around a corner confirmed the romance section and she happened upon a bell hanging from the top of one of the cases. A note was attached to the bell. She quickly read it and rang the bell as it instructed. Nothing happened for a moment, until she heard someone "shush" her from behind. It was Arthur.

"Don't you know we're in a library?"

"Oh, you're right. I'm sorry!" She laughed, and then hesitantly added, "Did you do this?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." He stepped a bit closer. "Though I happened to hear from a little birdie that you're looking for a Homecoming date. I don't know if you'll get one hiding in the corner of a library."

"Really? I had heard that some of these characters would make great dates. Unfortunately, they're not real."

"Lucky for you, I am."

Gwen had guessed at the reason for this encounter, but it still made her heart skip. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying, or rather asking, if you would accompany me to the dance next weekend."

Gwen remembered saying yes and they both broke out into smiles. She wasn't sure where this was heading, but she was excited for it all the same. She ran into Morgana during passing period and told her the good news. They jumped up and down with one another quickly before Morgana hurried off to art. Later that day at rehearsal, Gwen recalled the events for Lance. An emotion she didn't recognize flashed in his eyes for a brief second, but then he was congratulating her as well. Gwen skipped out of school that evening feeling incredibly happy and grateful. She didn't expect for her senior year to start off so well, but was thankful nonetheless. She had a date to Homecoming, a lead role in the musical, great classes, and even new friends. Smiling at her good fortune, she hopped in her car and headed home.

-x-x-x-x-x-

_**And my muse has run out! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! As always, tell me what you think in the lovely review box below!**_

_**Next time: Homecoming Week (not the dance quite yet!)**_

_**Have a great week! :D**_


	6. Little Note for You!

Hey guys!

I'm so sorry! I know I've been absent for quite awhile, and unfortunately I can't promise a speedy return. I've just been so incredibly busy with college this semester and I've had a ton of writing to do for my classes, and once I've finished with that, I'm too tired to actually write and get a chapter up.

I'm not abandoning this story, just putting it on hiatus for a bit. I have 6 weeks off for Christmas, so I'm hoping to continue and crank out a lot then and save some up to post once I get back to school. So I will be back, I promise! You may just have to wait a bit for it.

I do apologize, but some things can't be helped. I want to thank all of you who have stayed with me so far and I want to keep writing it for all of you lovelies! As always, thank you for the reviews I've gotten. I will try to keep your waiting to a minimum!

Love,

Bri


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